5.27.2007

Ann tagged me so I'm it. Here are eight random things about me you may or may not know.

I actively look for and sometimes create excuses to go to Ikea.

I saw Four Weddings and a Funeral with a (now ex-)boyfriend, and I always remember that he wondered aloud why Hugh Grant didn't just get together with Fiona (Kristin Scott Thomas) because she was "not so bad." I agreed with him at the time, but now I understand why Hugh Grant didn't get together with her. For a while, KST was one of my favorite actresses, especially in the movie A Handful of Dust.

The music for A Handful of Dust was composed by George Fenton, and once at E3 I met a music agent who claimed to know him, and I wrote a message to Mr. Fenton on the back of my business card because the agent promised to give it to him. I think the message said, "I loved your music in A Handful of Dust" or something equally simplistic. (Because I really do love the music in that movie.) I wanted to send him the message because I imagined that he doesn't get many fan letters.

I'm watching another KST movie right now, The English Patient, and my favorite scene is at the end where she's reading [SPOILER] the last words she's written in the diary as she lies there dying. "How long is a day in the dark? Or a week? The fire is gone now.... I'm afraid I waste the light on writing these words. We die rich with lovers and tribes, tastes we have swallowed, bodies we have entered and swum up like rivers, fears we've hidden in, like this wretched cave. I want all this marked on my body. We're the real countries, not the boundaries drawn on maps, and names of powerful men.... The lamp's gone out, and I'm writing in darkness." I just love the poetry of it.

I loved the latest Pirates of the Caribbean, and even though I snoozed a little bit during some of the slow parts, I don't think that makes it a bad movie at all.

I have buyer's remorse about our Prius because it only averages 36 miles to the gallon. My husband put up that "Yes" decal that Toyota sent out because it wanted people to show off how they'd definitely buy a Prius again. I want to replace it with one that says "No."

I miss the West Wing. I really gave Studio 60 a shot, but that show disappointed on so many levels.

In junior high/high school, I had an extremely cool red Peugeot cruiser. My friends and I rode in skirts, without helmets, and with each other on the handlebars all the time, and we had absolutely no concept of how incredibly dangerous that was.

I don't think I have eight people to tag, so I'll just tag the two people who might actually carry on the chain. Hello Carrie and Sarah!

5.20.2007

I really worried that when I had a baby, my videogaming days would be numbered, but I'm happy to report that, as always, finding time to play games just depends on finding the right game to play. And nowadays, that game, I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit, is the new Pokemon. It's portable, addictive, and perfect for playing in bite-sized chunks. I actually have found that as a mom, I now have a new gaming time slot that I didn't have before: in the car, when I'm sitting waiting with a sleeping Alex while Nick or my mom runs in to do whatever errand we're on. In the past, we probably would have done the errands together, but now, if the baby is sleeping, it makes more sense to do it this way. And that's giving me a lot more time to track down those elusive Pokemon. I want a Chansey!

By the way, instead of just linking to the Wikipedia entry, I have to quote a little bit of it for those who don't click away, because it's just too funny:

BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS Chansey is a rare, egg-shaped, pink Pokémon with much fatty tissue along its sides, alongside hairlock-like outgrowths on its head. It is said to bring happiness and luck to whoever catches it (which is ironic considering the fact that Chansey is number 113, though, in Japan, 13 does not have the same significance it has in the United States). It has a pouch on its belly as a marsupial animal would, and in this pouch it always keeps a special egg. These eggs, several of which are laid daily by Chansey, are both nutritious and delicious to the point where they are eagerly consumed even by people who do not have an appetite.

Those eggs make up Chansey's "Softboiled" attack, which I love. I gotta catch one!

5.14.2007

I haven't blogged since April 22. That's almost a month! I'm not sure where the time went, but I'm going to try something new. Here's a little memory from each day between now and as far back as I can remember. (Postscript: OK, I need to get a-blogging more. I feel like these days are just lost! I have a couple notes in my personal diary, but man, not enough.)

May 14Taped a very silly promo of EGM Live* along with another rousing episode. Walked to Dolores Park with Alex in the Ergo. Caught up on Desperate Housewives.

May 13My first mother's day. Had a lovely brunch at Greens Restaurant with the family: Alex, Nick, my mother- and sister-in-law, mom, and dad. Went to church at Most Holy Redeemer with Mom. Alex liked it for about 10 minutes, then fussed throughout. We left early and went home to Tutu's, where Alex and I took a fabulous nap in her super-comfy bed. Played Carcassonne with Tania, Latha, and Nick (I won!). Played Tetris DS in the park (Latha won!)

May 12Had yummy fondue in our new electric fondue pot (totally the way to go). Went to a party in Pacific Heights where they had an indoor swimming pool. Weighed in at WW (up 1.2 pounds. ack!) and went shopping with Mom. Took an awesome nap. Played Scrabble w/Tania, Latha, and Nick (I won!)

May 11Went shopping at the new mall and had a hard time finding anything. Played Scrabble w/the usual suspects (Nick won!). Went to Halo 3 event at Foreign Cinema and went out for a drink afterward at the Medjool roof bar (brrrrrr....beautiful but cold).

May 10Celebrated my mom's birthday at dinner with Alex, my brother, and beautiful niece and nephew. Got my nails done and discovered that busy moms don't have time to get manicures. Pedicures maybe, but not manicures.

May 9Held a fun work meeting at the Moonstar Seafood Buffet. Took Tania to Whole Foods (she'd been begging to go). Made dinner at home.

May 8Tania's arrival from India. Finished shipping the July issue of EGM. Complained about the heat.

May 7Ran around the house getting it ready for Tania's arrival. Bickered grumpily with Nick about all the things we could have gotten ready sooner but put off until the night before.

May 6Had Seanbaby over for a barbecue. At a shish kebab that contained bacon, shrimp, steak, and a bbq chicken wing. Was unable to put the uber-sociable Alex down for a nap.

May 5Ate tacos at La Taqueria. Went to an open house at the big house next door that's now for sale. Had a vegan smoothie at Cafe Gratitude.

May 4Taped another wonderful episode of EGM Live* that included a very funny Pokemon battle.

May 3Managed to get everyone at work to leave early despite being on deadline so they could go to a free screening of Spider-Man 3. Rushed home to see Alex.